http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/science/03angier.html?src=me&ref=science
I found this in the NY Times Science section by Natalie Angier, one of my favorite columnist (just behind Apple enthusiast David Poque). Natalie has a wonderful understanding of the science, history and culture of her topics and there is poetry in her prose. She is both a humorous and educational read.
New research suggests that our bones take advantage of both serotonin circuits[brain & gut], to manage the delicate dance between its two cellular castes: the constructive osteoblasts that build up the skeleton, patch the holes and repair cracks, and the destructive osteoclasts devoted to chipping rickety old bone tissue down.
Serotonin is also involved in helping people cope with adversity.
The embryo’s silent, headless genetic “twin,” the placenta…synthesizes serotonin and ships it straight to the forebrain to help Brain development in fetuses.
...To synthesize serotonin, humans and other species must start with tryptophan,an essential amino acid found in many dietary items, including turkey, cheese, tofu, nuts, seeds and bananas.
To read more detail, click on the top leak, it's worth spending your time on this.
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